


Not Every Lion Can Be King

by AnotherAuthor, vic_writes



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Percy is a Gryffindor, Sorting Hat scene, The Sorting Hat, Weasley Family woes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:22:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26555041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnotherAuthor/pseuds/AnotherAuthor, https://archiveofourown.org/users/vic_writes/pseuds/vic_writes
Summary: Percy pushed up his glasses trying to see himself in all the house colors. As the Hat was dropped onto his head, his glasses fell down to the tip of his nose from the weight. He struggled to see the blurry figures of his older brothers. Their red heads leaned toward each other likely placing bets on his house placement. No one, other than his parents, thought he would be a Gryffindor. He shivered at the thought from earlier that summer being dyed blue by Fred and George. His mind raced as he tried to figure out what his brothers were guessing -- Ravenclaw? Hufflepuff?
Relationships: Percy Weasley & Weasley Family
Comments: 8
Kudos: 57





	Not Every Lion Can Be King

Why did his last name have to start with a W? 

Percy stood tall, shoulders square among the sea of first years. His eyes scanned again to begin to recount the heads in front of him. One… two… three… he stopped when he finally hit himself, second to last. His mother mumbled on the platform how small the class looked in comparison to past years at Hogwarts. Percy decided to be grateful for the number thirty. His stomach’s somersaults needed to be endured. Why make such a show out of sorting anyhow? 

“Clearwater, Penelope!” 

_God, how are we only on C?_

A girl with long, curly blonde hair pushed past Percy to go up to the stool, glancing curiously back at the other students. Percy suppressed the urge to scream at her to hurry. Within seconds, the hat shouted, “Ravenclaw!” and the girl’s tie swirled into a brilliant blue and bronze as she made her way over to her new House. 

Percy spared a wary look at the girl. She hopped down the steps and raced to her table, embracing another first year. It was a safe assumption that the two girls met on the train. Unlike most first years, Percy avoided meeting anyone on the train, since he hated to make casual friends only to immediately find new ones in his house. With his eldest brother as a prefect, Percy decided instead to follow him around for the journey. 

Speaking of his eldest brother, Percy turned his attention from Ravenclaw to Gryffindor. No students yet sorted into that noble house. Though, only five students were sorted thus far, plenty to go. Percy imagined seven years of sitting through the Sorting. Was it more entertaining with a house to your name? 

Charlie, a fourth year now, shot him a grin and a double thumbs up when he caught Percy’s eye. Percy blushed, looking down at his hand-me-down oxfords. With about an inch to grow into them, he tried his best to bare the blisters forming on the back of his heels. The ragged old hat looked like something Aunt Muriel put in her closet. Surely, it couldn’t be a thousand years old -- no fabric lasted that long. It was now on “Delling, Nathaniel.” 

“Slytherin!” sparked cheers from the far end of the Great Hall. Percy tottered from his left foot to his right foot and back again. Hopefully, everyone else in his year had a last name starting with X, Y, or Z, because he wanted to get sorted as soon as possible. 

Then, “Franklin, Lily” took a full _1 minutes, 58 seconds_ to get tossed over to “Hufflepuff.” She’d been the longest so far. What if everybody ahead of him took that long? He’d be here for ages! If Percy waited until midnight to have dinner, he might faint. Mum only packed sandwiches for lunch, and he split his sandwich with Bill. Percy felt the grumble build in his torso. 

Oh no, now there was nobody left on Percy’s side of the crowd. He stood five feet from anyone else. He raised his robe to his nose before slowly putting it back down. Used or not, it smelled fine. He shuffled back over to stand next to a girl with brown, curly hair who stood half a head shorter than him. From here, the Sorting Hat was much clearer. Its wrinkled, animated mouth dropped witticisms as the students underneath it quaked in fear. Percy hadn’t been too concerned about what the Sorting Hat would say, but as he waited and waited and _waited_ , his nerves unraveled. 

The Hat always put Weasleys into Gryffindor. Mum claimed all the Prewetts (that mattered) ended up in Gryffindor. There was no reason to think Percy would be anything but a Gryffindor. It was ludicrous to have him wait in this _ridiculous_ line when he would end up there. Mum said so when he got fitted for his new glasses in July. He looked so proper and mature in his new glasses. 

“And the brown frame won’t clash with red or gold,” his mother announced before immediately following with, “But of course it would look nice with anything, dear.” 

The first Gryffindor was sorted, a girl with a last name that was after “F” but before “W.” Percy had stopped paying attention to the students. What was the point? As he pointed out to Bill on the train, people at Hogwarts tended to stick to their housemates for the first year. 

Percy adjusted his glasses again, looking at the remaining first years huddled near the front of the hall. While he was off in his own world, their numbers dwindled. A mere seven remained. Professor McGonagall looked at her list again, reading, “Russell, James.” As James Russell left their motley crew, Percy noticed only one other boy was yet to be sorted. _That_ boy kept bouncing on the heels of his feet catching Percy’s attention for well over a minute now. He tried to pull his eyes away to assess the current state of affairs.

The first years now sat with their future housemates. A handful of Slytherins… a cluster of Ravenclaws… the Hufflepuffs were a bit harder to see from where he was standing, but he saw one of the boys sorted earlier who had been with him on the boats, he had been nice… Gryffindor must have already mixed their first years in, because he didn’t see any at the end of the table. Percy’s brothers waved at him, mouthing something that looked like “Good luck.” Percy offered a small smile. He hated to keep looking back at them. It became a habit to look for their reassurance. 

His class was rather small like his mother said. That was a result of the war based on Percy’s initial assessment. He struggled to remember those days, only knowing the tears he shed for his Uncle Fabian and Gideon. It was sad to think that his class might be the smallest in a long time. Though, a smaller class may lead to an easier time getting Head Boy. His father had been Head Boy, Percy knew. And he wanted to be like Arthur Weasley when he grew up. After all, his father worked at the Ministry of Magic, the most important place in the world. He wished his father ran for Minister. He’d make a rather good one. His intelligence, ingenuity, and ability to stop the twins from burning their home down made him qualified. 

Plus, “Minister Weasley” had a nice ring to it. If his father didn’t become Minister, surely Percy would. He asked Bill if he planned to run for office in the future, and his older brother laughed it off. Other than his father, Bill Weasley was the next most qualified candidate. 

“Tulpiner, Amira,” McGonagall read. The girl next to Percy strode forward, distracting Percy from his search for roommates. She got onto the stool without assistance, and the hat shouted “Gryffindor.” Now there were four, two girls and two boys. 

“Valence, Samantha!” God, now there were three. Where had the time gone? Percy started to bounce on his heels, wringing his hands together. The corners of his cheeks started to bleed from his teeth picking at the skin. 

Samantha joined Ravenclaw to great applause. She was probably someone’s sister; family members always got the most applause. Not that everyone got sorted the same as their family. Your House was supposed to be your family after all. To have your actual family in the House was an added bonus. He wondered if anybody could recognize him as a Weasley from behind. He looked a lot like Bill, with the same blue eyes and coppery red hair albeit curlier. What would people say if he _wasn’t_ a Gryffindor? 

Everybody in the room stared at him now. He trained his eyes forward, ignoring the whispering students next to him. His heart started to race. His fingertips fiddled with the ends of his robe sleeves scrunching his nose at the long length. Bill had been taller when he started Hogwarts. 

“Vorek, Amelia!” 

Two left. Charlie went last in his year. Percy decided he might be the very thing keeping students from their long awaited meals. He’d have to sit there, staring out at all the students of Hogwarts, waiting to be judged. What if the Hat had nothing to say? What if it turned out he was a Squib as Fred and George teased, and he was sent immediately home? No, that couldn’t be right. He showed accidental magic for years, and he’d gotten his letter -- the youngest in his family to show magic, at only a few months old. But what if he was wrong? What if--

“Weasley, Percival!” 

His lungs froze. Percy’s body followed, as he struggled with the surreal situation. The boats might as well have happened last year. His mother kissing his cheek at King’s Cross, was that even his life? Had that been him, so innocent and unthinking? Now was the moment that would determine his life, determine his entire future, determine who he was--

“That’s ye, inae it?” The jittery boy whispered next to him, clapping his back. Percy forced a smile backward stumbling forwards to the stool. How long had he been standing there? Professor McGonagall was looking directly at him now, holding the hat up, ready for the second-to-last sorting. His brothers told stories about the venerated witch, an expert in Transfiguration. A subject he deemed his favorite after reviewing his school books all summer long. He stared too long, eyes wide from the overwhelming anxiety. She smiled, motioning to the seat. Percy nodded, a rush of red coming to his cheeks as he hurried and sat on the stool. 

Percy pushed up his glasses trying to see himself in all the house colors. As the Hat was dropped onto his head, his glasses fell down to the tip of his nose from the weight. He struggled to see the blurry figures of his older brothers. Their red heads leaned toward each other likely placing bets on his house placement. No one, other than his parents, thought he would be a Gryffindor. He shivered at the thought from earlier that summer being dyed blue by Fred and George. His mind raced as he tried to figure out what his brothers were guessing -- Ravenclaw? Hufflepuff?

_I’m the one trying to figure that out._

The voice cut into his monologue suddenly. Percy jumped, his hands catching on the edge of the stool. He thought to turn to see who spoke behind him until the voice came again. 

“Oh, this is interesting isn’t it,” the Hat announced to the room. “And there’s more of you?”

Has everyone heard the Hat? Oh, was the Hat about to unveil all of his secrets? Percy wished he had listened to everyone else’s Sortings instead of focusing on his own. He might have known what was going on. He tried to think of the most embarrassing moment of his life, and imagine the entire school hearing it. Oh no, that might mean the hat would _see_ the most embarrassing moment of his life. 

_Percy, Percy, Percy,_ the Sorting Hat tutted -- sounding amused at his worry. _What to do with you?_

Percy tried to calm himself. How much time passed since his sorting began? Why hadn’t he been put directly in Gryffindor? He imagined his parents' reaction, his brothers’ teasing, and the utter loneliness of being the only Weasley to be in a different house. 

_Oh, but you don’t want to be sorted because of your brothers, I see that. You want your own judgement… and that’s what you’ll get._

Could Percy think back? Was this a conversation? Was this something he was supposed to be talking about, or was he supposed to wait? Had he made it known he wanted to get into Gryffindor on his merit? Of course family mattered! Percy imagined his morals and characteristics resembled those he grew up with. He wanted to be like Bill and Charlie. 

_Excuse me, sir,_ Percy tried to capture his voice in his mind. _May I ask what’s taking so long?_

“What a mind…. clever, curious…” The Sorting Hat mused. _Eager, are we? Ready to go to courses, Percy? It’s a bit early to plan for your O.W.L.s, it is your first day._

Percy’s mouth dropped at the accusation. He went to speak, but remembered his conversation partner was too busy opening all of the closets stored in his head. _This is a school,_ he thought, trying to think about anything other than academics right now. But, he loved school. His mother’s tutoring started to drag in the final year of homeschooling and Hogwarts was a welcome change of pace. _I am a student. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a good book._

Ravenclaw, he realized. Everyone pegged him for a Ravenclaw. Reading at the age of four came back to bite him. It wasn’t the worst outcome, Percy acknowledged, even if it would baffle his family -- well, his parents. He decided he was born the outsider, so it wasn’t the end of the world. Bill told him that Ravenclaws excelled with exams and with professor-student relationships. Percy wanted to be a good student. 

_You love learning, but what if… oh, the ambition. You are so desperate for approval… always the last to be noticed, the last to get what you want…_

_No. No. No._ It couldn’t be. _No, please no._ Percy begged. 

_You would achieve much in Slytherin_ , the Hat urged him on. _You’ve got the wit of Ravenclaw, yes, but you don’t want knowledge for yourself, you want it for the future, Percy. In Slytherin, you may find powerful allies in your journey…_

_Cornelius Fudge, Millicent Bagnold and Nobby Leach were all Ravenclaws,_ Percy argued against the Hat. He could come home in blue and bronze, but if he showed up in green and silver, he’d never make it through the front door, regardless of what his mother and father promised. Bill and Charlie would never speak to him again. He imagined the looks of disgust, the looks of scorn aimed at him when he attempted to sit with them at teatime. His life ended on that contingency. _Put me in Hufflepuff, I don’t care, please don’t do this-- you don’t understand--_

_Three interesting ministers_ , the Hat murmured. _I remember them well_.

The comment distracted Percy for a moment. Hang on, _Cornelius Fudge_ had worn this exact hat. So had his parents. Had Merlin worn this hat? That was incredible! Someday, people would wear this hat and know that _Percy Weasley_ had worn it, and they’d look up to him, just like he looked up to Bill.

“Those we look up to can guide us… you’re right. Best not…” the Hat announced. Percy closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as the Hat prepared to announce the first Weasley to go to Ravenclaw, the House of wit, knowledge, and learning. 

_Oh Percy, it’s not that simple_ , the Hat mocked him. Percy opened his eyes again, adjusting his fallen glasses to get a better look at the crowd. Bill tapped on his wrist as he looked over at Charlie. Percy peeked down at his own watch, but he never checked for when he started. Was he a Hatstall? No, it couldn’t be. 

_Not quite,_ the Hat laughed, echoing in his mind. _I don’t expect you will be a stall, I’ve almost made up my mind. You care so deeply about your reputation, what others think of you. So worried about what they know, what you need to conceal._

_Tell me,_ Percy pleaded. _I want to know. Why can’t you put me in Hufflepuff instead, I don’t want to be a Slytherin, I can’t be, please._

_Not Hufflepuff, certainly not Hufflepuff, you know that,_ the Hat teased him. _You’d never survive there._

_Rude,_ Percy frowned. _You’re wrong._ He could do well there, he’d heard good things about Hufflepuff and he was loyal -- he knew how to survive among ridicule and teasing. 

_Percival, this will go much faster if you’re honest with yourself. I can see everything. I know who you are._

Percy tried to clear his mind, he didn’t want the Hat to see _anything_ if it meant he’d end up living in the dungeons for the next seven years. He was a blood traitor, that was the House of You-Know-Who, and he might not even live through the night, based on what Charlie had said. Mum spoke in secret one night. He sat on the counter handing her bakery ingredients as she told Percy how Slytherins killed his uncles. That his father dealt with the incessant mockery of purebloods due to his name during their time at Hogwarts. 

_No, Percy… I see something in you… you’re hiding quite a bit, aren’t you? You’re different from your brothers…_

_I’ll leave Hogwarts,_ Percy insisted. _You can’t make me, I won’t be there. I won’t be in Slytherin. I’ll self teach. I’ve taught myself long enough._

Percy tightened his jaw so much that his teeth could crack. He loosened his grip on the chair, relaxed his shoulders, and forced himself to take a deep breath. The Hat spoke aloud again. 

“Intelligent, but oh, you’re more than clever… oh, it’s so clear and you can’t see it…”

_Tell me,_ Percy demanded. _Tell me, then. I want to know, you coward._

_Coward, is it? That’s the worst thing you can say? Perhaps you are cowardly for escaping a house that would gain a great mind._

_I want to go,_ Percy closed his eyes again. _I don’t want to be up here anymore, I want to either go to my RIGHT House or go home. Go on, do it. Sort me, and I will do what I must._

“I should have known,” the Hat laughed aloud. Percy prepared himself again. He looked over at the Ravenclaw table, where a few people whispered to one another. He hadn’t been a Hatstall, surely, or else everybody would be whispering. Three or so minutes went by, nothing to look down upon, a perfectly respectable time. Charlie took a minute from his account. And he’d tell everyone that he nearly made it into Gryffindor. No need to sully his reputation with a suggestion he could be in Slytherin. 

_Good luck, Percy Weasley,_ the Hat made a final compliment… or was it a warning? Was it a joke? Was the Hat going to do it? Was his life over? 

“No,” Percy whispered to himself, feeling tears at the brim of his eyes. 

“Better be… GRYFFINDOR!” 

Charlie jumped up on the bench, sticking his pinky fingers in his mouth and whistling as Bill stood tall and applauded. Percy removed the Hat, his grin wide. His shoulders shook up and down as he stretched back to his full height. He shook McGonagall’s hand fervently, bounding down the steps toward his new family.

Bill caught him in a crushing embrace. Percy said nothing, wrapping his arms around his older brother -- nose buried in his jumper. The hat exhausted him over the entire affair. Charlie reached across, grabbing Percy’s shoulder. “Proud of you, Perce,” he laughed. 

Hands shot out at him and Percy tried to shake them all, taking a good look at each person’s face. The butterflies disappeared from his stomach. He looked down to admire the red and gold tie adorned on his neck. The crest of Godric Gryffindor proudly displayed over his left breast. As everyone quieted down, McGonagall read the final boy’s name and Percy almost felt pity for him. At least he hadn’t been last, that was worse than three minutes on the stool. 

“Wood, Oliver!” The boy grinned, walking up unbothered by everyone’s stare. The Hat remained quiet, mumbling a few times as it settled in on Oliver’s head. The boy shut his eyes, his feet resting on the stool bouncing up and down. His hands tapped on his thighs. 

Percy, relieved that his own Sorting was done, looked around at the other first years. 

“Where’d they put the rest?” Percy whispered to the girl next to him. “Sorry, I’m Percy, you are…”

“Amina,” the girl reminded him. “You’re the only boy in Gryffindor. Is that odd? I’m the first witch in my family, you see--”

Percy’s jaw dropped to that. He tried to ignore the sudden light headed feeling. Of course they had been sorted already, there were four girls seated around him, all watching Oliver Wood mumble to himself as the Hat spoke aloud about hard work and valour. 

There wasn’t a single boy in Gryffindor. Was he going to be living alone for seven years? Surely, there were rules in place to prevent that. It wasn’t his fault that nobody had been born in his year, maybe he could convince his mother to lie and move his birthday back by a week. It would be incredibly painful to endure another year in home lessons with his younger siblings, but he could do it if he had to. Perhaps, McGonagall and Headmaster Dumbledore bumped him up a year. He could learn two years' material in no time. 

“Oh, very good, yes, very good,” the Hat’s voice broke. 

Could this boy be his roommate? Percy focused on the front, unable to take a breath until he knew. The jittery boy that stood next to him in line might be his only hope. Did he look at any other table? Oh, please no, let there be no other house. 

_Please let him be dumb as rocks,_ Percy thought silently. _And let him have no passions or ambitions, and let him be as disloyal as they come. I don’t care._

“GRYFFINDOR!” The Hat declared. The boy -- Oliver Wood -- smiled again, returning the Hat and getting the loudest applause of the night. People started to get hungry after all. Percy felt air flood into his lungs again. He watched Oliver jog over to where he sat. 

“Oliver Wood,” the boy introduced, repeating himself as he shook each hand at the table vigorously. “Pleasure to meet ye.” 

Dumbledore went up to speak. Oliver turned to Percy offering his hand.

“Guess we’re roommates, then? What was yer name? I was so nervous up there, I forgot to listen!” He was Scottish, Percy deduced. It was best to learn details, now that he’d be living with the boy for seven years. “I tried to keep thinking about Quidditch, and joked I wanted to go to the house that could win the cup. Do ye think they’re letting first years play in Gryffindor now?” 

“Percy Weasley,” Percy replied, trying to listen to the stream of consciousness coming out of Oliver’s mouth. Percy took Oliver’s hand, shaking it. “I look forward to getting to know you.”

“I’ve got to listen to Dumbledore, he’s supposed to be the most brilliant wizard--” Percy began apologizing, trying to focus on what the Headmaster was saying. 

“Of course,” Oliver whispered, swerving in his seat. His legs still bounced up and down. “But then, let’s talk Quidditch.”

After the speech, Percy learned far more about Oliver Wood. Percy looked forward to their future at Hogwarts. The boy wasn’t dumb as rocks, and he certainly didn’t lack ambition. Based on how friendly he acted and how much he talked about Quidditch, Percy decided that living with Oliver would be exactly like sharing a room with one of his brothers. Percy knew how to act around his brothers, and he rather liked Quidditch. Oliver even paid attention when Percy shared a bit about his interests. 

Percy Weasley prepared himself for the first chapter to his long and illustrious career in magic -- all he wanted to do was write to his mum and dad to share the good news. 

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written a while ago, but we decided we wanted to give Percy a bit of defending on what house he belongs too. For a longer series on Percy's Gryffindor moments, feel free to comment below. For now we hope you enjoyed this brief but necessary Sorting scene. 
> 
> Thank you for reading <3


End file.
